


Take Me Out to the Ballgame

by betheflame



Series: POTS Server Stocking Fills 2019 [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baseball, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Identity Porn, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22440337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betheflame/pseuds/betheflame
Summary: Nat plays her cards right and forces Tony and Steve to spend time together.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: POTS Server Stocking Fills 2019 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569040
Comments: 15
Kudos: 133
Collections: POTS (18+) Stony Stocking 2019, Tony Stark Bingo 2020





	Take Me Out to the Ballgame

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fluffypanda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffypanda/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [Fluffypanda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffypanda/pseuds/Fluffypanda) in the [stony_stocking_2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/stony_stocking_2019) collection. 



> **Prompt:** bamf Tony + Identity Porn  
> My first identity porn type story - I hope I did it justice, panda!
> 
> ______  
> TSB Bingo Info:  
> Card: 3017  
> Square: A2: Tension  
> Wordcount: 1498

“Iron Man,” Captain America came through the coms. “Thanks for all your work today.”

 _Wouldn’t be thanking me if you knew who the meat suit was_ , Tony internally sneered.

“It’s literally my job, Cap, but sure.”

“And could you let Tony know that the new grips worked very well?”

Tony preened and hit a switch quickly. “Hear that J? They worked very well.”

“You know, Sir,” the AI responded. “You could simply tell Captain Rogers that you are one and the same and have these small celebrations with him.”

“But I’d so miss our talks, J.”

If Jarvis had eyes, Tony knew Jarvis would be rolling them as he switched the channel back to the main coms. “I’ll let him know, Cap. Iron Man out.”

Tony took the long way back to the tower - he’d almost told Cap who he was four times during that battle and that was two more times than the last time. Cap was so enthusiastic about Iron Man - always praising the tech, and thanking him for a job well done, and… and basically speaking to him like a human instead of the goo on the bottom of his shoe the way Steve speaks to Tony.

It was dark when he finally landed, and he had Jarvis send the elevator straight to the workshop. He was still in uniform when he stopped dead in his tracks.

“What the living fuck are you doing here?”

Natasha Romanov was playing patty cake with U and looked right at home.

Which was fine, except Natasha Romanov didn’t live there, and had no idea who he was, and there were prototype suits everywhere.

“I’m meeting your children,” she replied evenly, as though there was nothing unusual about an Avenger in his personal space.

“Jarvis?”

“She knew the entry code, sir.”

His AI was such a little shit.

“Fine,” Tony ground out. “I’m sure I can count on you to keep this a secret, Super Spy?”

Natasha raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow and looked directly at him. “Now, why would I want to do that?”

“Because Iron Man wanted, Tony Stark not recommended? Those are your words, cupcake.”

Natasha shrugged, as though it was no big deal that she once wrote the words that are now tattooed on his soul. “I was mistaken.”

“You were mistaken,” he said, letting the sarcasm bite through. “I crafted an entire existence around… no, you know what, Scary Spice, we’re not doing this. Just tell me what you want and then get the fuck outta my space.”

“I believe U has gotten attached to her, Sir,” Jarvis interrupted.

“DO NOT get me started on you, Wirehead,” Tony roared.

“I don’t believe I know what you mean, Sir,” Jarvis replied, and Tony caught Nat’s mouth quirk slightly into a smile.

“Fine,” he ground out. “What do you want?”

“Steve’s miserable.”

“Cap’s fine.”

“Oh,” Natasha replied. “I’m sure he is. But Steve is miserable.”

Tony made a face. “Point taken. And I’m to do what about this?”

“You own a box at Citi Field, right?”

Tony nodded.

“Take him to a game.”

“He hates me, Natasha,” Tony sighed. “And he hates my money more. Why would I take him to watch a baseball game from a luxury box?”

“Because he’s a security risk sitting anywhere else in the stadium,” Nat replied calmly. “Plus, you both need to grow up because we already have to keep track of too many secrets.”

“How long have you known?” Tony asked, after a few beats of silence.

“Four days after Germany,” Natasha replied.

“You’ve kept this secret for _two years_.”

“And you’ve had to keep it for longer,” Natasha’s voice was soft, and had a quality in it that Tony couldn’t - and didn’t want to - place.

They had a brief standoff before Tony conceded. Natasha waited until she had proof he had texted Steve and then she blew U a kiss and took her leave.

* * *

_Steve: What do I wear?_

_Nat: It’s a baseball game, not a job interview._

_Nat: Just don’t look like a grandpa, you’re gonna get photographed._

_Steve: And what will the papers say about Captain America being seen with the Merchant of Death?_

_Nat: I don’t give a fuck, becasue Steve Rogers is going to a baseball game with Tony Stark, who stopped weapons productions before you were defrosted and we are not having this argument again, Steven. You lost the poker game. This was the bet. Pay up like a good boy._

Steve growled.

_Nat: I’ll send you a website. You are allowed to purchase from the clothes I’ve marked._

_Steve: I’m not a doll._

_Nat: And yet._

_Steve: Fuck you._

_Nat: Not the way you swing, darling._

_Steve: I never wanted a sister, you know._

_Nat: Well aren’t you glad the gods blessed you with me anyway. Now order some dark wash jeans or I’ll send Clint with you and he doesn’t understand baseball at all._

_Steve: Just make the shirt blue, okay? I like blue._

_Nat: Done._

* * *

The day dawned bright and sunny and 75F and was honestly a picture perfect day for baseball. They both signed some autographs as they walked to the suite, but conversation was sparse. Steve was on edge, and Tony appeared to be, too.

They both looked at their phones a lot, both yelled at the players, and then finally, during the 3rd inning, Tony turned to Steve. “Look, I don’t know what I did, but I’m assuming it’s something to do with your BFF Howard -”

“I hated Howard,” Steve interrupted.

“You what?” Tony dropped his beer and it splashed everywhere. Steve hopped up to get paper towels and the pair were distracted for a few moments while they cleaned up.

“Again, you what?” Tony asked.

“I hated Howard,” Steve replied. “Why, did he say differently?”

Tony blinked a few times and started howling with laughter, to the point where tears started coming out of his eyes. Steve sat in confused silence until Tony finally pulled himself together.

“So you clearly haven’t been to your exhibit in the Smithsonian?”

“I have an exhibit?”

“Oh boy, Cap,” Tony smiled, “we have some adventures to go on.”

“Steve,” Steve corrected firmly and Tony paused. Steve was slightly stunned at the force of Tony’s glare when it was entirely focused on him.

“Steve,” Tony smiled. “Howard was obsessed with you and spent all my growing up years trying to find you. He told everyone with a microphone that he missed his best friends Steve and Bucky.”

“And Peggy never corrected this?” Steve was incredulous.

Tony shook his head. “Not to me, anyway.”

“Well,” Steve said after a silence. “I hated your dad. Sorry.”

“Oh, I fucking despised him, so good company,” Tony responded with an ease that made Steve laugh out loud.

It was a thaw, and it was enough. They spent the subsequent innings making small talk and getting to know one another. Steve conceded that he had been wrong about Tony - while, yes, the man was a showboat, he wasn’t one in conversation, so maybe it was out of fear. Steve had known plenty of soldiers who relied on bravado to get them through the front. Perhaps Tony was one of them. It was enough of a possibility that Steve decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

As they were leaving - Tony climbing into his car and Steve onto his bike - Steve called to Tony. “What she have on you?”

“What?”

“Nat,” Steve smiled. “I lost a poker game. That’s why I’m here. She was right, which I’m not going to tell her, but that’s why I agreed to come. I had a good time though.”

“Wow, and you didn’t choke on the words,” Tony’s laugh was light and Steve took it as teasing, which he would not have a mere four hours previous.

“But what did she have on you?”

Tony made a face - as though he was deciding something significant and pulled out his sunglasses and climbed into the car. “Oh, nothing really. Just told me she knows I’m Iron Man. Bye, Steve.”

Steve was frozen in place for exactly two seconds before he vaulted towards the Audi and slid into the passenger seat.

“Wow, those super reflexes really do what they say on the tin,” Tony remarked.

“You’re Iron Man.”

“Uh huh.”

“You’re in the suit.”

“Got it in one, Cap.”

“I’ve been…”

“Correct.”

Steve sat back and stared at Tony. “Why?”

“Why am I Iron Man? Well, that’s -”

“No,” Steve smiled. “But yes, later, first why did you keep it a secret?”

Tony squirmed a bit. “I wasn’t going to at first, I was going to tell you all at the team meeting after Germany, but then…”

“But then I was an ass.”

“I wasn’t much better, sweetcheeks,” Tony admitted.

The pair held each other’s eyes for a minute and Steve finally put out his hand. “Well, Iron Man, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thanks, Steve. Pleasure is all mine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/betheflame1) or [Tumblr](http://betheflame.tumblr.com) for more on these yahoos. You can also submit prompts and cajole me into writing faster - it usually works. If you're on Discord, I'm definitely there, too, and probably hanging in the [Stony](https://discord.gg/z5WSqbS) or [Stuckony](https://discord.gg/jtXcc3n) servers.


End file.
